From the removal of a statue of King George III in New York in 1776 to today’s removal of Confederate statues and monuments, the United States has had a long history of “reckoning” with memorials, monuments, and other forms of public art deemed oppressive, shameful, hateful, or simply “out of sync” with present day values and ideals. Erika Doss, professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame, traces how, why, and when Americans target public art, and the dilemmas of dissent and historical accountability in public culture.

The Murphy Lecture honors Dr. Franklin D. Murphy, Chancellor of the University of Kansas from 1951 to 1959, and is offered in partnership with the Spencer Museum of Art and the Kress Foundation Department of Art History, University of Kansas.